A fried protein that even a vegan would love. The heat from the red pepper flakes pairs well with a hoppy IPA.
Hey, did you hear? Archie Manning, former Saints quarterback and still current New Orleans resident, is going to be cheering for his son Peyton Manning and the Colts during the Super Bowl! Not tired of this story yet? Don’t worry, it’s only pre-Pro Bowl Tuesday. By next week you’ll be checking the rule books to see if the Super Bowl can end in a tie just so you do not have to hear for the ten-thousandth time that there is a character in The Pelican Brief named after Archie. (Don’t lie, you loved The Firm and The Pelican Brief, so don’t front and say he’s too low-brow for you on my blog.)
So why go on this posting walk-around if I don’t care about Archie Manning? Well, there are twelve more days of coverage to go and no one wants to talk about the actual game yet, but mostly because I want to link to this great YouTube video of a former Saints QB who is willing to put aside professionalism for his former team.
You go Bobby Hebert. Screw the reporter in the blue shirt next to you. That guy doesn’t look like he’s had fun since the last Doctor Who convention was in town.
Today’s recipe is another easy one you can make ahead of time and reheat (if you want) for your Super Bowl party, but is also easy enough that if you need to whip up something in about 15 minutes because you’ve already run out of pizza and good lord did someone actually chug a bottle of sriracha because you ran out of chips?
14 Days of Super Bowl Recipes: Fried Chickpeas (Ceci Fritos)
You will need…
If you don't use little prep cups, that's fine. I don't either when the camera is off.
Note – This is for a single batch, you can easily double, triple, or quadruple these amounts depending on the size of your party.
1 can of chickpeas (Or if you insist, “garbanzo beans” or “ceci” depending on your background.)
4-6 tablespoons of olive oil or vegetable oil. (Or a mix of both. Sometimes you want the taste of olive oil, but watching expensive olive oil being poured so freely into a pan gives you hives, you can use both.)
Pimenton (smoked paprika)
Red pepper flakes (optional)
Garlic powder (optional)
Other seasonings that can be used:
Cumin
Fresh parsley
Fried sage
Ground pepper and salt
I never list "paper towels" as something one would need. I hope you have paper towels around. Or at least lots of clean dish towels. There are two different schools of which ones are better for the environment.
Rinse and pat dry the chickpeas. Remember, the less water you have on your chickpeas, the less they will splatter once they hit the oil.
Another thing I never list as needing is an oil screen for your pan. If you have one and never use it, this is the time to pull it out. Don't have one? Rip a screen off of a window, wash it, and throw it over your pan.  (Just kidding, most screens nowadays are vinyl and would melt to your pan. No one wants that. Plus, you'd be leaving yourself open to 'skeeters.)
Using a large pan, heat up your oil to about 350º-375º over medium-high heat. (About to when it starts smoking.) You want to use a pan that is big enough to hold a layer of chickpeas. If you are making multiple batches, do about one can at a time. Make sure you have enough oil in the pan to coat the beans, but not so much as they are swimming in oil. (Mostly because it’s just a waste.)
AHHHH! SPLATTERING!
When you first throw your chickpeas in the oil, you will think the world is ending. Move quickly and cover. A few chickpeas will pop and go flying. Neither you, the oil, or the chickpea have done anything wrong. These things happen.
Fryfryfryfryfryfryfry
Shaking the pan every so often to make sure they cook evenly, fry until golden brown.
Hope you had more paper towels!
Drain on paper towels (or a clean dish towel) and season to taste. Serve warm. If you make these ahead of time, you can easily reheat them on a cookie sheet in the oven for a few minutes before serving.
Personally, for football I’d go with the spicier seasonings because it goes well with beer, people yelling, sweating, and everything else macho you think of when you think about sports.
(Including farting.)
(Okay, maybe not when you think about curling. I don’t think there is farting in curling. Maybe then curing is not really a sport?)
(Amount of farting/players*hours of play=sport ?)
(But using that formula, tri-athletes would be the most sporty of the sports. Not sure about that.)
(Alright, done now. Must do more research.)
(Can you get a grant for paper masks?)
DAY ONE – 14 Days of Super Bowl Recipes: Salted Honey Roasted Pecans
Salivating… and it’s only day 2 of 14. Very much looking forward to the next 12!
awesome! in the seventies i was in nashville and my team was the ‘aints -was a 19 yr old new mom,new daddy on nightshift and a baby who never slept – fell in love with Archie Manning – I felt his pain! It wasn’t s’posed to be that way! I am joyful and i love your happy space!